Businesses going green is no big news around here — Washington DC is one of the greenest cities around, and getting greener by the day.
What green businesses in Washington DC are making an impressive difference?
A soccer stadium, for one. A health care system. Toss in a university, a park commission, and an electric cooperative.
Here at Level Green Landscaping, we’re proud to help these environmentally friendly companies keep their properties looking great, while keeping their commitment to sustainability in mind.
As a business going green, we’re doing our part for the earth, too.
Here’s a look at how several environmentally friendly companies are building greener, operating smarter and working diligently to protect the earth.
1. Loyola University
The private, Jesuit university on a wooded campus in Baltimore, Md. has built a culture of sustainability. Here’s a look at just a few of their green initiatives:
Loyola’s Evergreen Campus was designated an accredited arboretum for their dedication to nurturing and preserving dozens of tree species.
15% of Loyola’s annual purchased electricity is powered by wind.
Facilities staff use an advanced energy monitoring system to keep track of energy efficiency across campus. This software allows staff to adjust building temperatures, change equipment settings and troubleshoot and solve problems with the click of a mouse.
The university’s Green Office Program encourages campus offices and departments in sustainable practices, providing step-by-step guidance and support.
The Good Stuff Campaign, Loyola's annual move-out recycling program, helps students donate their clothing, dishes, small appliances, and unopened food to local organizations in need.
Water refilling stations across campus encourage the use of reusable drinkware.
2. DC United / Audi Field
One of the founding clubs of Major League Soccer, D.C. United is among the most decorated teams in the United States — and one of the top green businesses in Washington DC.
Audi Field, the 20,000-seat soccer stadium which opened in 2018, boasts a number of green initiatives, including an 884 kW solar system; high efficiency HVAC systems; LED field lighting; site stormwater conservation; a green roof, and low- flow fixtures.
The environmentally friendly company gets fans in on the green action, too, hosting popular sustainability- themed nights that include:
- A pre-match recycling drive where fans can bring small, unwanted electronic items for proper recycling. Every recycled item contributes to the planting of ten new trees in a reforestation project.
- One tree planted for every fan in attendance.
- 5,000 fans get seeds to plant either marigold flowers or wildflowers for the spring season.
3. Inova
Northern Virginia’s largest non-profit healthcare provider is among the green businesses in Washington DC, incorporating environmental sustainability into all aspects of its core business operations, from the energy they use to power life-saving medical equipment to the materials purchased for new construction projects.
The environmentally friendly company is getting noticed. Inova received 2023 Environmental Excellence Awards at all five hospitals and the System for Change Award from Practice Greenhealth, the nation's leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in healthcare.
While some efforts are behind the scenes, like reducing medical waste, energy use and carbon emissions, it’s easy for northern Virginia residents to notice many of this environmentally friendly company’s green efforts, too:
- A meadow restoration project at Inova Loudon hospital converted 4.7 acres to native grasses, flowers, and shrubs to serve as critical habitat for local wildlife.
- 1,000 tree saplings planted across the region help support replenishment of the northern Virginia tree canopy.
- Electric vehicle charging stations were installed at Inova headquarters parking garages.
4. Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
Unlike many utility companies, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative is non-profit, owned by its customer members. And it produces some of its power with help from the sun and wind.
This environmentally friendly company operates a solar farm on 33 acres in Hughesville to convert sunlight into energy.
SMECO uses some of the solar energy to supply its engineering and operations center, but most of the power is delivered to the grid.
Wind power is an important part of SMECO’s renewable energy strategy, too. They buy a portion of the power generated by several wind farms in Pennsylvania.
SMECO has reduced its own carbon footprint and offers ways its customers can save energy, too.
5. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission administers a park system of more than 52,000 acres in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
They’re conservationists, at the forefront of saving energy and being good stewards of the land for the taxpayers who entrusted them with it.
That’s why they hired Level Green Landscaping to re-do an area of Patuxent River Park, replacing cracked and crumbling concrete steps, landings and walkways with permeable pavers that allow rainwater to seep through, then be piped away from the river and into a nearby wooded area.
The green project helped the commission earn the Maryland Green Center Award, a state government certification that shows that the MMCPPC saves energy, reduces pollution runoff and helps prevent erosion along the waterway.
Level Green Landscaping
Here at Level Green Landscaping, being an environmentally friendly company is a top priority. You can see it in all sorts of ways, from the cars we drive to the equipment we use to our recycling practices.
We recycle all of our green waste. Our management vehicles are hybrids. We’re moving from gas-fueled to battery-powered mowers, blowers, weed-eaters and shears. We use brine to combat ice and snow — it uses one quarter of the amount of salt as traditional rock salt, so it’s gentler to the environment.
Level Green Landscaping’s longtime motto, “Do the Right Thing,” means being kind to the earth.
Need Help With Your Green Project in DC? Count Us In
Level Green Landscaping is committed to work that makes the earth a cleaner, safer place.
Are you one of the many Washington DC area businesses going green? Need permeable pavers? Stormwater retention ponds? LEED certification? A green roof? We’re on it.
If you’re not already a Level Green Landscaping client, we’d love to add you to our growing list of happy customers.
Our focus is on commercial properties like offices, mixed-use sites, HOAs, municipalities and institutions in Maryland, Washington DC and parts of Virginia.
Contact us at 202-544-0968.
You can also request a free consultation online to meet with us one-on-one.
We’d love to hear from you.
Image sources: SMECO logo, MMCPPC logo, wharf logo, nationals logo
